


January Menthols

by orphan_account



Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter/Funhaus RPF
Genre: M/M, its a typical high school party okay?, mentions of past Raychael, mentions of smoking and underage drinking
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-30
Updated: 2015-10-30
Packaged: 2018-04-28 20:48:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,545
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5105231
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Michael drags Ray to yet another inane party where he's awkward, and uncomfortable, and ultimately ends up curling up in an alcove, unseen by the rest of the party guests. That is, unseen by all but one extremely attractive blonde who seems to actually care about his problems.</p>
            </blockquote>





	January Menthols

     “Not having fun?”

     The deep voice that came from his left cause Ray to jump, just slightly. He’d been so zoned out, looking at the snow falling outside the window that he’d completely forgotten he was at party.

     It was Michael who’s convinced him to even go. Much to Ray’s eternal chagrin, the lad loved the party atmosphere, and dragged him all across town every weekend, to every single senior party he could get himself invited to. He also liked to drink a fair bit, which was why Ray always came along, just to make sure he got home safe and sound, and not completely trashed. Ray was the “designated driver” who, counterintuitively, couldn’t actually drive.

     It also didn’t help that Ray had been completely and totally head over heels for Michael for several years. Keyword ‘had’. He was over it now, mostly, but he still felt some sort of obligation to make sure he didn’t drink himself into trouble. They’d used to have such deep conversations back then. Michael would get drunk, and Ray would get high, and they’d just talk about anything and everything. Secrets of the universe, the nature of mankind, how many marshmallows could Gavin theoretically fit up his nose, that sort of thing.

     They’d almost gotten together for real at one point, but that had fallen apart just like everything else Ray cared about. Michael had made him feel like the entire world was just for him. And then things changed, and they were back to being just friends. Which Ray was fine with. Mostly. What he wasn’t okay with were these stupid parties.

     At this particular one, he’d gotten tired of being told he was a “fun sponge” for not wanting to drink, and had found a nice quiet alcove near a window to hide away in. His legs were curled close to his chest on the huge bench seat built into the wall, one arm over his knees.

     The owner of the voice, a tall blonde guy in a ratty red flannel, sat down across from him on the bench. Something about the guy was familiar, but Ray just couldn’t seem to put his finger on what it was.

     “Yeah, well, not exactly my scene,” he replied, with a halfhearted shrug.

     Blondie shrugged in return, pulling a pack of menthols from his shirt pocket. He pushed the window up, a cold draft blowing in from outside, a few flakes of snow drifting in and melting when they hit the warm air. Ray felt a chill go down his spine, and he wrapped his arms closer.

     “You want one?” Blondie offered. Ray shook his head. He smoked, yeah, but not cigarettes, and especially not shitty menthols. He remembered where he’d seen him before, now. He had been a grade above Ray and Michael, and sometimes they’d see him and his two friends sneaking behind the autoshop to smoke during class. Ray had always wanted to talk to him, and just couldn’t work up the courage. Guess he was having his chance now.

     “So, come here often?” Smooth, Ray, real smooth.

     Blondie laughed, and Ray could feel his face start to heat up despite the cold from the window.

     “Well, I live here, so yes?”

     “Oh, so this is your party?”

     “Nah, Geoff just convinced me to let him host it here.” Blondie saw Ray’s confusion, and tried to explain himself. “Kinda tall, wears a stupid shirt that says “Make Mistakes” like, every other day of the week?”

     “Ah, I know the moustache, not the man.”

     “Yeah, he has that effect on people.” Blondie lit his cigarette, and put the lighter back into his pocket. He let his hand hang out the window, the ash falling to the snow outside. “Speaking of people whose faces make more of an impression than their names, I don’t think I caught yours.”

     “It’s Ray.”

     “You were a few years behind us, right? You and that other kid, what was his name? Curls and angry all the time?”

     “Michael. And we’re only a year younger than you…” Ray trailed off, realizing he had no idea what Blondie’s actual name was.

     “Ryan. Name’s Ryan.” He smirked, just as another cold blast hit Ray in the face from outside the window. He had half a mind to ask Ryan to close it. It was way too cold to have the windows open this late in January. But, Ryan wanted to smoke, so he would let it go for now.

     “Right, Ryan.”

     “Let me guess, you’re the designated driver?”

     “How’d you guess?”

     “You don’t seem like the type to be into this kind of party.”

     “Yeah, I guess you could say that. I kinda just get dragged along wherever Michael wants to go. Got nothing better to do.”

     “So you don’t like these parties?”

     “No offense to your friends, who I’m sure are lovely people, but I’d rather be watching paint dry than be at this party.”

     Ryan raised an eyebrow, in a way that Ray found extremely attractive. “Harsh. But a fair assessment. I’m not really a fan of the alcohols either.”

     “The alcohols?”

     “That’s how the kids say it nowadays, right?”

     “Not in the slightest.”

     “So, if you don’t mind me asking, why do you come along to places like this if you don’t like being here?”

     “Dunno. It kinda makes me feel cool when I show up to a place where Michael’s other cool friends are. Like I’m one of them, you know? It started out with just one party, and now it’s every weekend, sometimes two in the same week. Kinda sucks, but you know the drill. You gotta be there to make sure your friends don’t do stupid shit.” Ray could feel himself oversharing, but something about the way Ryan just listened and nodded as he talked, occasionally taking a drag and blowing the smoke out the window, made Ray feel comfortable telling him almost anything.

     “I feel like I kinda lost control somewhere along the line. I wanted to do things that made people like me. I wanted to be like, “the cool kid” or whatever like you guys were. But I’m too much of a pansy ass to do anything other than sit here feeling sorry for myself.”

     “Like we were?” Ryan questioned that, and Ray felt the need to explain.

     “Yeah, you guys were like, the essence of the nerd-chic crew. All the geeks wanted to be like you, or be with you or whatever. You guys were untouchable, like, on a whole other level of cool.”

     Ryan chuckled again, which made Ray nervous that he’d said something wrong.

     “We only wish we were as cool as everyone seemed to think we were. You know, nine times out of ten, I went home, played six hours of Counterstrike, then fell asleep? We weren’t living the life of glamor, dude.”

     “Yeah, but still, you guys threw this huge party. And a bunch of people came to it. That’s gotta count for something, right?”

     “Yeah, I guess. They’re really all here for the booze, and once that’s gone, they’ll all book it out of here. Hell, you’re the only person I’ve talked to the entire time.”

     “Really?”

     Ryan frowned, then continued, flicking ash into the snow. “Yeah. Geoff likes to throw these parties ‘cause he lives off his high school reputation. But once the beer is gone, he’s alone again, and the cycle continues. I’m starting to think it’s not even worth throwing them anymore.”

     “If you got something you want to vent about, go ahead, I’m all ears.” Ray could see that something was really troubling Ryan, and he wanted to help in some way, even if he had just met the guy. He was a sucker for cute blondes in distress.

     “I guess it’s just…I don’t really want to talk to loud, ‘cause you’ve got friends here, and I’ve got friends here, and whatever, but it’s like. I’m tired of living off old shit, you know? Like, I’ve got stuff I want to do with my life, but all Geoff and Jack seem to want to do is party. And like, I have to be there for them, ‘cause that’s what friends do, but I don’t know how long I can keep doing this.” Ray felt his heart seize up, as the person he’d previously thought to be the pinnacle of cool was suddenly so very human and vulnerable.

     “I mean, if you want to do something else, we could just split?”

     “Huh?”

     “Well, neither of us are drunk, and my house is only like, a block away. It beats sticking around here and dealing with drunk idiots all night.”

     “I mean, if you’re offering. What about your friend Michael?”

     “I’m sure he’ll be fine. Not like I’ve actually been watching him much tonight anyway.”

     “Alright, sure,” Ryan said, tossing his cigarette out into the snow.

     “One rule, though.”

     “Alright, shoot.”

     “It’s way too cold for you to smoke your shitty menthols with my windows open.”

     “Fair enough. Oh, and before we get going, I got a question for you. Do you want to get lunch sometime? Or at least a meal that isn’t in the proximity of 19 screaming drunkards?”

     “Like, a date?”

     “Yeah, like a date.”

**Author's Note:**

> Another fic inspired by a Front Bottoms song; "Awkward Conversations" from the Rose EP this time. Details based on an actual party I got stuck at once, so they should be pretty solidly accurate.


End file.
